NAIROBI, KENYA – Fidel Cholo Fernandez, a pathologist from the city of Zamboanga in the Philippines, and now based in

Penang, Malaysia, spends his days studying diseases under the microscope, but he also is a believer in divine healing.

Dr. Fidel Fernandez, along with his wife Leticia, was one of 500 doctors, scientists and medical professionals from 37 countries who came to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi for the ninth International Christian Medical Conference held May 25-26, to explore whether miracles still happen today and, if they do, to provide medical data to prove them.

The doctor made it clear that he also believed in divine healing and then during a previous conference made a presentation with data that was flashed on the two large screens in the conference hall.

He told the story of a Korean Christian called Deacon Han who had been diagnosed with early gastric cancer following an endoscopic study on September 2002.

“Deacon Han received an endoscopy test once again on December, 2002, but a biopsy was not performed at that time because the lesion had not improved,” said Dr. Fernandez. “He was told that he should undergo an operation for gastric cancer, he didn’t because he had a belief in God.”

So the doctor said that Deacon Han had traveled from his home town to the Manmin Central Church in Seoul where he received prayer for his sickness from Dr. Jaerock Lee, the senior pastor.

“From that moment, he gained weight and was sure that he was healed,” said Fernandez. “Finally, he confirmed his healing two months later by another endoscopic test at the local internal medicine clinic, when no vestige of the gastric cancer was found.

“After a year, an endoscopy and biopsy test was done to him by the doctor who diagnosed his original case and finally the doctor gave his report that the patient didn’t have the symptom of gastric cancer.”

It was a miracle, pronounced Dr. Fernandez.

So, in an interview, I asked this charming doctor if he had ever experienced a personal miracle in his own life.

“Well,” he said, “the best example would be my son who was born with a congenital disease. Before he was born, the doctors told me that he could only live possibly for one year. We were pushed against the wall and my wife Leticia, who is a nurse, and myself, just relied on prayer and he’s now in his mid-20s so that’s a great miracle for me.”

I then asked Leticia why she had come to the “Spirituality and Medicine” gathering.

“I have worked with the World Christian Doctors Network (WCDN) since 2005 and I’ve become active in the organization and have even invited doctors and other medical workers to attend the conference,” she said. “I am finding that there are a lot of doctors who believe in miracles, but some others are still skeptics.”

At the end of the conference, it was announced that the 10th World Christian Doctors Network International Conference will take place in Mexico City, Mexico, next year at a date yet to be announced.